For purposes of protection against heat, for instance, in case of fire, pipes or lines are wrapped with a firestop device, or else with insulation optionally having a firestop function. In addition to protecting the pipes or lines, the firestop device can have a suitable construction and material selection to also prevent the propagation of fire or smoke. For this purpose, such firestop device comprise, for example, an intumescent material that expands upon exposure to heat, so that it can close penetrations in the walls or ceilings and floors.
The term “firestop device” refers, for instance, to a bandage that foams or cools in case of fire and that contains an intumescent, ash-forming and/or ablative material in order to prevent propagation of fire. In case of fire, the intumescent material forms a microporous and heat-insulating foam layer which, owing to its low thermal conductivity and to the exclusion of oxygen, protects the lines and pipes from the effects of fire. In case of fire, the ash-forming material creates a stable ash crust, albeit without foaming. In general, the ablative material disintegrates, while eliminating water, as a result of which the line or pipe is cooled. The bandage can be a full bandage or a partial bandage. With the full bandage, the pipes or lines are completely wrapped, that is to say, wrapped with the bandage along their entire length, whereas, with the partial bandage, only parts of the pipes or lines are wrapped with the bandage, especially in the area of a penetration or opening in the structure. The term “bandage” as set forth in the invention refers to a full bandage as well as to a partial bandage.
An example of insulation having a firestop function is conventional line insulation or pipe insulation such as mineral wool or the like, which is, for example, coated with a firestop material (intumescent, ash-forming and/or ablative material) or which, due to its characteristics, that is to say, the material of which it is made, has a fire-retardant effect (integral fire protection). As set forth in the invention, it is in this context that the term insulation, optionally having a firestop function, is employed, so that it can encompass coated insulation as well as insulation with integral fire protection.
The firestop device or insulation is normally wrapped around the pipe or line and subsequently attached to it. This is particularly necessary when the firestop device or the insulation cannot be inserted at all or not deep enough into an annular gap between the line or the pipe and the opening in the structure. The attachment can be accomplished, for example, using a support strip made of metal that is joined to the firestop device or to the insulation and that surrounds it in the circumferential direction once the firestop device has been installed. Moreover, the state of the art comprises separate steel strips or sheet-metal cladding which additionally permit the pipe or insulation to be fastened to a wall, ceiling or floor.